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Hide From Pursuers

Scenario: You are being chased by someone through the woods and other rural settings. You are out of breath and must hide. Your survival depends on your one minute head-start. This tutorial will teach you the basics of how to spend that one minute. This can apply to a variety of cases, from a game of paintball when you have no ammo to running from bandits during the zombie apocalypse.

All pictures were made by me, with copyright free textures. Notice: I am not responsible for any negative consequences and/or escaped criminals as a result of this Instructable.

Step 1: Running

You are out of the pursuer's sights and you have about one minute before they catch up. You can either run until you are out of breath, or run until you find a good area to hide. Once there, you will have to go through these steps as fast as possible; finding your hiding spot, getting there, getting covered.

Step 2: Tips for Running

~ When you are being chased through a densely wooded area, don't run in a straight line, it will make it easier for the pursuers to follow you.~ Remember to keep your momentum while running, try not to slow down. Remember to jump where necessary, if you don't pick up your feet enough and you trip, you won't get any redo's. ~ Judge the risk of the path that you are taking - if you can't see to the bottom of a puddle or pond, you don't know how deep it is. Is it worth it to run through or go around?

Step 3: Find a Hiding Spot

Now that you have chosen an area to hide, look around for potential hiding spots. This takes much more thought than it seems. At first, a couple of potential spots may stand out to you, but if they stand out to you, theyprobably stand out to the pursuer. Look closer, think of places that aren't expected.

There are 2 basic types of hiding spots, cover and concealment. Cover will protect you from physical attacks (paintballs, fists, tasers) but you can be seen. Concealment alone offers no physical protection, but it makes you harder to spot.

Spot 1: Cover. Very easy to spot people.Spot 2: Cover and concealment. This ditch can serve as a pretty good hiding spot, as long as you chose the right position.Spot 3: Concealment. If you get seen here, you are pretty much done, no matter who you are running from. However, if you hide properly, this can be the best spot.

Step 4: Reaching Your Hiding Spot

Now you must get to the spot you chose to hide in. If your path is cluttered by sticks and leaves, running through it recklessly will make it obvious as to where you went. Instead, move slowly, ducking under or stepping over anything in your way. You can shuffle the leaves behind you with a stick as you go along.

Step 5: Camoflauge and Situating

Now that you are in your spot, you can gather foliage to cover up with. You can also cover your face with mud, which will help you blend in and also keep the bugs away. If your clothes are bright and the situation is dire, you should cover them with mud too.

Once you are camouflaged, get situated. As long as the pursuer can't hear you, take a bunch of deep breaths and prepare to breathe deeply and slowly for a long time. Make your stature as low as possible. Bugs will probably bother you, based on the time of year. Now you can get ready to wait, potentially for a long time.

Step 6: Wait and Listen

Wait. Don't move, even when they are walking in your direction. You don't have to watch them, but you should at least hear them. The only time you should start running is if they are a good distance away (or distracted) or if their pace increases while they are heading in your direction (indicating that they have found you.)

Step 7: Now Run

When you are ready to move, take a bunch of deep breaths and look at your escape route, planning your footsteps out. Then, if you think you can make it without being heard, you can walk. Otherwise, run. There is nothing in between; either the seekers see you escaping or they don't. That means, you are either walking or running for your life again.

If you make it out of here, congratulations! It may or may not be over, but your hiding was successful.